


Limerence

by Atsu Tenshi (milky_haven)



Category: Pet (Anime 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Hiroki is an actual Sunshine, M/M, Satoru aka the third wheel friend, Satoru may or may not accidentally ship Tsukasa and Hiroki together, Satoru's POV, Suicide Attempt, Tsukasa is poor sad baby, canon character death, i fix the entire episode 13, someone please save Tsukasa because he deserves BETTER, spoiler of last episode so do not read this if you haven't watched it, the Company enjoyed screwing their lives, this fandom is so tiny i wanna contribute at least one fic, trust me this is mostly fluff with a dash of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:35:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23576260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milky_haven/pseuds/Atsu%20Tenshi
Summary: When Hiroki was being clingy, Tsukasa refused to leave Hiroki's side that Satoru had seen them entering the bathroom together to shower and even sharing the bed in the motel they're staying, and yet Satoru had clearly offered to sleep on the couch since there were only two beds. He wasn't complaining he got the other bed in the end, but it's puzzling to see Tsukasa and Hiroki being… entirely immersed with each other. If there's a way to surgically attached themselves, Satoru thought they would have done it anyway.Satoru unravelled the intense (and potentially dangerous) relationship between Tsukasa and Hiroki while they were running away from the Company.
Relationships: Tsukasa/Hiroki (Pet)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 37





	Limerence

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't watched the last episode, then STOP and click back. If you haven't watched it but you don't mind spoilers, then by all means, keep reading. Basically, the real summary of this fic is **Hiroki never erased Tsukasa's memories so Tsukasa was still mentally unstable. Poor Satoru had to be stuck with these two crazy idiots who had intense feelings for each other.**
> 
> I have so many feels for Pet after watching the last episode. I had to write this because mai bois need some love and A HAPPY ENDING. Miyake Ranjou will be releasing the sequel of Pet called "Fish" so I'm super excited about it because if everything goes well, there will be Pet season 2 after 2022. Since I cannot wait that long, I thought of writing a fix-it.
> 
> Okay, first thing first, this story is unbeta so I'm warning you of grammatical errors and weird sentence structures. Read this at your own risk. Secondly, I'm not sure about the spelling of Long or Ron. Wiki stated Ron but I just stick to the name as what was written on the subtitles of the anime. Lastly, this is canon-divergent so I changed a lot of things that didn't follow the scenes in the anime, especially the shooting scene. So, I really hope you guys would love this as much as I had fun writing it.

Satoru fell to the floor even before he felt the pain in his leg. Shit. He got shot. The moment that bastard Tsukasa stalked out of the room, looking like half-crazed, Satoru knew he had to act quick. Everything he did after that was based on his instinct to survive that he barely thought what he did. He didn't know where he had the strength to push away the guard and threw himself towards Long and being bigger, he managed to wrestle the gun from the man and killed him with a bullet to the chest. Jin was screaming and Katsuragi went to try to subdue him. It was so quick that next thing he knew, Katsuragi was shot accidentally by Jin. 

Taking advantage of the moment, he stole the gun from Katsuragi’s limp hand and used the butt of the gun to slam hard on the security guard’s head. Satoru immediately screamed at Meiling to release her butterfly. He quickly left without explaining further to Jin about Katsuragi. She would understand once she’d seen the truth- Katsuragi’s real memories that were finally unlocked.

He limped as fast as he could to the back room behind the wet bar, hoping that Tsukasa wouldn't do something to Hiroki. Tsukasa had crushed Hayashi, so he wouldn't be surprised if the other man would do the same to Hiroki. But Satoru had spent years catching a few glimpses here and there of the close relationship between Hiroki and Tsukasa. 

He remembered the other man’s gentle voice coaxing Hiroki from being stubborn, his soft smile that would melt Hiroki’s anger, and his tender way of touching Hiroki whenever the younger man was feeling nervous and anxious. Even when they caught Hiroki yesterday, Tsukasa had warned others, especially at Katsuragi not to harm Hiroki and insisted to be the one to carry him after Katsuragi had administered the drug into the younger man. Hiroki had been bound tightly into a white sheet to restrict his movement and his mouth had been tapped, and yet Tsukasa had held Hiroki’s body in his arms as if he’s carrying a _precious_ bundle. Like a dragon hoarding his gold, Satoru had thought at first. Or like a lover holding on to his other half, as Satoru caught the fleeting agonizing expression on Tsukasa when the man had to place Hiroki inside the Company’s bag.

Yes, Hiroki was important to Tsukasa so, despite all the fucked-up things and the betrayal that the raven-haired man had done, Satoru trusted Tsukasa not to harm the brunet no matter what. 

Once he reached the room, he wasn’t expecting to see Hiroki and Tsukasa holding each other, melding their minds. He’s not sure what exactly were they trying to do but Satoru needed to bring Hiroki with him. Hiroki was the only one who could help him now. Making sure to crouch right next to Hiroki but a few feet away from Tsukasa, he quickly reached out and touched the younger man’s shoulder and meld into their minds.

He pushed the door and stepped into a burning forest. He looked around and noticed a big hunting dog that he’s certain was Hiroki wrapped around Tsukasa’s arms, as if protecting Hiroki from the fire that was threatening to burn them both. “What are you guys trying to do?”

Tsukasa looked at him in shock, and then frowned, upset that Satoru was there. “Satoru?! Wh-”

“We have to leave now!” 

Hiroki with his beady dog eyes glared at him. "Wait! Satoru!" And Satoru, with his entire mental strength, made his door large enough to wrap both Hiroki and Tsukasa before they could react. Trying to break Hiroki and Tsukasa's image, the two gifted and strongest people he had known other than Hayashi, nearly ripped his mental into shred that he thought he might as well just crushed himself.

The moment he came out from their minds, using his last strength and taking advantage of Tsukasa's weak state, Satoru punched Tsukasa a few times in the head. Hiroki, aghast at watching Tsukasa being knocked unconscious, trying to reach out towards the limp body on the floor. Tears falling from his eyes as saliva dribbling out from his mouth. "Tsukasa! Tsukasa! Tsukasa!" He cried weakly for his fallen friend.

Then he glared at Satoru. "What have you done?! You shouldn't hurt him!"

“Listen to me, Hiroki. We must leave here and go somewhere. Hayashi said it’s important.” Satoru grabbed Hiroki’s arm but the brunet was struggling weakly against his hold, his teary gaze burning stubbornly into Satoru. He screamed hysterically, “I’m not going anywhere without Tsukasa!”

“We cannot bring him with us!”

“Tsukasa wanted his Peak to be replaced with mine. If we must leave, then we do it together!”

“He crushed Hiyashi!”

“He regretted what he did!”

"Tsukasa will betray us! He had done it and he won't hesitate to do it again. He's with the Company!" Satoru was tempted to slap Hiroki out of his senses. They have no time to argue about this matter. Anytime the Company would come to the room with their armed guards.

Hiroki shouted angrily back at him, his voice hoarse and wet, “He’s with me!”

Satoru thought it's better to hypnotise Hiroki so he prepared a trigger to shock Hiroki but before he managed to do it, Hiroki was sobbing harshly, as he grasped Satoru's hand, "You know how important Tsukasa is to me, just like Hiyashi is to you. Please, please, _please_. I need Tsukasa.” Tears keep dripping down Hiroki’s cheeks, begging at Satoru. 

Shock at how those words caused his chest to tighten painfully, he released Hiroki. The brunet desperately reached out to Tsukasa and held the unmoved and somewhat lifeless body. If it wasn't for the slight breathing movement, Satoru would have thought he had killed Tsukasa with his beating.

Satoru stared a moment at the scene in front of him. He understood the feeling of not wanting to be separated from the one who you shared their Peak. He felt the same way with Hayashi. But the relationship between Hiroki and Tsukasa had always been more intense. He wondered if the bond between these two had was more than just sharing Peak. Satoru recalled Hiroki being lifeless in front of all the aquariums, not even bothered to open the shop, lingering around restlessly for Tsukasa to come back while waiting for the other man's phone call or messages. Satoru had teased lightheartedly that Hiroki was like a newlywed housewife waiting for the husband from work. Hiroki had merely glanced at him with a glare but went back to look at his phone distractedly. To bring Hiroki with him without Tsukasa would cause more harm than good in the long run. Besides, no matter how much he wanted to hypnotise Hiroki, he didn't think he could keep up the illusion for more than an hour. Disconnecting Hiroki and Tsukasa from their mind-meld had taken over most of his mental strength. 

Satoru made his decision.

-

Hiroki hypnotised someone to carry Tsukasa while Satoru leaned on Hiroki as they hobbled towards a car. As the driver brought them to the shop first, Satoru asked Hiroki what were they planning to do inside Tsukasa’s mind before he interrupted them.

"To replace Tsukasa's Peak, we had to go through his Locks. He had so many of them that they ended lashing out at me. Tsukasa cannot do anything about them except protecting me."

Satoru shook his head. It was impossible to do that especially with someone with a mental strength as strong as Tsukasa. Having multiply Locks were like stepping on a field with a hundred of landmines. "That's dangerous to unlock all of them. It's not that easy. You might erase all his memories."

“Yes, I was aware of it now. Removing memories of Hayashi could trigger an avalanche that he might just be crushed or end up with an empty slate. No memories, no identity, just nothing.” Hiroki shivered in horror as he realised what he nearly did to Tsukasa.

"What are you going to do once he's awake? He's going to run back to the Company." Satoru pondered if he could hypnotise Tsukasa. He winced when he moved his leg that had been shot. The bullet was stuck inside his muscles and tissues but at least it stopped the flow of the blood. Perhaps he should refrain himself from hypnotising someone because the pain would just hinder the illusions and Tsukasa's mind was still and always have been the strongest between them both.

Hiroki responded vaguely, "Don't worry. I know what to do." He looked serious and older, and painfully thinner than the last time they worked together. The light in his eyes seemed dim, as if the last few hours had robbed almost everything that shone inside Hiroki. Satoru prayed Hiroki would never lost all that light. He needed that sun inside his friend- probably his one and only friend that he could trust for now. Tsukasa needed Hiroki too, he thought absentmindedly. Tsukasa needed the brunet now more than ever.

-

They went back to the shop to grab both Tsukasa and Hiroki’s passports. Satoru had his back in his hotel room so the only way was to steal someone’s passport along the way and to hypnotise the immigration officer.

Next, they arrived in one of the many empty safe houses prepared by the Company. It was a very bad idea but that’s the only place they could do something about Satoru’s leg. Tsukasa had nearly woken up during the trip and Hiroki had managed to hypnotise Tsukasa back into a deep sleep. Looking at how easily Hiroki did it, he was certain that Hiroki was as strong as Tsukasa and could probably even rein in the other man. But Hiroki’s steadfast loyalty and unwavering bond to the raven-haired man will not allow that to happen. 

There were probably bugs implanted by the Company around the place so they tried not to make much noise as they carried Tsukasa over to one of the couches. Hiroki went to fetch the first aid and tried to help Satoru to remove the bullet. But he was as hopeless as a six years old kid trying to patch up a gunshot wound. Satoru appreciated the help after they pulled the bullet out but he didn't want to aggravate his injury more. So he denied any further assistance and told Hiroki he would do the cleaning himself. He ignored Hiroki's pout as he washed the wound easily. Luckily it was a clean shot. This was the first time he had to fix himself up without the help from the Company. He had observed a lot that he was proud of himself because he was able to do it on his own. Hiroki went around the room and collected all the bugs that he had found. 

“What are we going to do with these?” Hiroki asked quietly, showing the bugs.

“Burn them?”

“Or flush them down the toilet?”

Satoru shrugged and Hiroki rolled his eyes. Then the young man walked out of the living room, either went to the kitchen to set them on fire on the stove or went to the toilet to flush them.

While wrapping his clean wound with a bandage, he glanced at Hiroki who just entered into the living room a moment later. He went to Tsukasa and sat down at the foot of the couch. Like a little child seeking comfort from their elder, Hiroki leaned over and laid his head on the sleeping man's chest.

Satoru thought back to the betrayal that Tsukasa did. He was still angry with the other man. He had thought of hypnotising Hiroki right now so that they can leave together. However, if Satoru leave the man here, Tsukasa would burn the whole world to the ground just to find Hiroki. Unless he killed Tsukasa right here and now, _or crushed Tsukasa_ , a voice interjected his thought, which suspiciously sounded like Katsuragi. 

But Hiroki’s desperation to be with Tsukasa seared in his mind like a tattoo. He sighed sadly. No, he wouldn’t kill or crush Tsukasa. Not only it would broke Hiroki for good, Satoru didn’t have the heart to do it to someone who he considered as a friend at one point of his life. Tsukasa had crushed Hiyashi which was akin to a death sentence. What Tsukasa did was unforgivable but Satoru wouldn’t do it. He would learn to tolerate the other’s presence for Hiroki's sake. For Hayashi too. Because from the letter, he believed Hayashi cared about Tsukasa as much as he did for Satoru.

At the corner of his eyes, Hiroki raised his head and leaned back. He moved towards Tsukasa’s face and started to touch his head. Satoru wondered if Tsukasa had concussion. Did he knock Tsukasa that bad? He could see blood on Hiroki’s fingers. He felt slightly guilty, just a tiny bit honestly, because Tsukasa deserved all of that beating after what he did to Hayashi. He must have made some sounds because Hiroki turned to look at him.

He turned back to the sleeping man as he continued to check on Tsukasa's head wound. "This blood was from scratches on his scalp. Tsukasa clawed his head so hard when he begged me to do something about his memories." Then he glared at Satoru. "But don't think I forgive you easily for trying to break his skull, you bastard! Now hand me that ethanol and cotton if you don't need them anymore."

Satoru pushed the bottle of ethanol on the floor towards the other man and threw the bag of cotton which Hiroki caught them easily. A few minutes later, which he was glad they had rid of the bugs inside the room, Tsukasa started moaning in pain and seconds later, he screamed which Hiroki tried his best to wake the man who was having a nightmare. He sat up suddenly, nearly hitting Hiroki's head and stopped struggling, his chest heaving as if he's struggling to breathe, his eyes wandered around the room like a wild animal, briefly glancing at Satoru before finally landing his dark gaze on Hiroki. 

Hiroki was cupping his cheeks with both hands, murmuring something soft that Satoru considered meant for Tsukasa's ears only. "Tsukasa… alright… here… nothing… hurt you…" Their foreheads and noses were touching and in a certain angle, it would look like they're kissing.

It took another minute or two when he heard Tsukasa’s voice clearly, “Where are we?”

“In a safe house,” replied Hiroki.

Satoru needed Tsukasa to be aware of their situation so he stood up to catch his attention. “We must leave the country as soon as possible before the Company catches us.” 

Tsukasa tensed the moment he heard him speaking. The raven-haired man scowled when their eyes met. “You should have run on your own and leave Hiroki and I,” Tsukasa hissed at him. “I prefer not to get involved with whatever crap Hayashi wanted us to do!”

Satoru snapped angrily, “You think I want to be stuck with the guy who crushed Hayashi and the one who also placed the blame on Hiroki?! If we had gone with that plan, you would have let me crush Hiroki!”

He watched the way how Tsukasa grabbed Hiroki, determined and possessive, bringing the smaller man closer to him that Hiroki was halfway sitting on Tsukasa's laps. "That was never the plan. I'll never allow you to crush Hiroki! I'll kill you before you could even touch him!" Tsukasa tightened his hold over Hiroki as he spat the last sentence harshly.

Satoru crossed both arms, glaring at Tsukasa with hatred. "I wanted to bring Hiroki along with me and leave you there to rot on your vomit!"

“Shut up, Satoru!” Hiroki seethed angrily.

"If that were to happen, you would have regretted it because I would have razed the whole world and rip you apart for taking away what's mine."

Hiroki gasped, “Tsukasa, stop it!” 

Satoru was tempted to roll his eyes but he refrained from doing so because it would just add more fuel to the fire. The older man seemed to be even more predictable when it’s involved Hiroki. 

Tsukasa turned to the brunet, his gaze heated, “The Company threatened to take you away from me and I had refused to let that happen. If Satoru managed to take you with him, I would have gone to the end of the Earth just to get you back with me.” Hiroki’s cheeks were red and Satoru wondered if they were from anger or embarrassment from Tsukasa’s confession. 

Hiroki pulled Tsukasa into a hug and heard the brunet confessed quietly, “I would never let that ever happen to us.”

“You promised me that we’ll always be together.”

“And I swear I won’t break that promise. I couldn’t stand it either without you being with me.”

If Satoru hadn't seen similar scenes and heard similar conversations between these two, he would have been feeling uncomfortable right around this time. But he had spent several years watching these two during their job or when they're hanging out after they completed their mission that it became normal to see how close they were together. His bond with Hayashi wasn't as intensely profound as Tsukasa and Hiroki's bond with each other.

It seemed that Hiroki was the only person that still tethering Tsukasa to his sanity. Satoru still cannot trust Tsukasa at all. He's manipulative and mentally unstable. But his instinct told him that the place where Hayashi wanted them to go, it would benefit Tsukasa too.

It’s going to be a tough ride from here on.

-

Long and Katsuragi being dead had bought them a lot of time to run away. The only person who would be able to find them now was Meiling but Satoru doubt the CEO able to handle the little girl as well as Long did. Sweet little Meiling now in the hand of those bastards, continue to be the Company’s Pet, and it angered him so much because he should have taken Meiling with him that night. The moment Meiling released her Image, Satoru could have carried her little body in his arms. 

So now there's only Jin to be wary of if she still sided with the Company despite everything, despite awareness of the truth about Katsuragi. Satoru won't be surprised at all. Besides, family was everything to Jin and the CEO was her uncle.

_I killed her lover. And made her accidentally killed her father. Jin won’t ever forgive me._

-

They changed into clothes that they wouldn't usually wear. Tsukasa wore a black hoodie and dark jeans, Hiroki put on a white crew-neck jumper and track pants and Satoru simply slipped on a plain grey sweatshirt with a hood and sweatpants. 

"We have to appear different! You still look like _you_! Your clothes looked similar like the one you wore just now!" Hiroki pointed at his attire and Satoru reluctantly agree with him. They didn't have any time to dye his hair to something dark so that he could look different. He planned to cover his blond dyed hair with the hood.

"Well, do you expect me to wear a button-up shirt? People would stare at me more!"

Tsukasa studied his face which made Satoru felt extremely uncomfortable. "You should get rid of your piercing if you want to appear inconspicuous."

Since they're out of time and didn't want to take the chance of staying longer in the safe house, they didn't do anything about his piercings and left the safe house.

They found a house a few kilometres away where an elderly lady lived alone. They decided to stay there for the night. Satoru hypnotised her and she's doing her own thing without seeing any of them. They all settled in the kitchen, purchased their flight tickets online and ate some biscuits, fruits with plain water as supper. Everyone looked tired and haunted. 

“I don’t want to leave the country. I can’t do it,” a soft voice suddenly broke the silence of the kitchen.

Satoru opened his mouth to retort but paused when he recognised the sign of madness in those dull blue eyes. Tsukasa’s hands were trembling so Hiroki reached out, “Tsukasa…” and the other man snapped his eyes at the brunet, immediately grasping Hiroki’s hand and entwined their fingers in desperation. “We need to talk,” he told Hiroki, his voice wretched and harsh, then he glanced at Satoru, and growled at him, “You stay away from our heads.” 

Before Hiroki could say something and Satoru could react, Tsukasa placed one arm around the brunet. In a blink of an eye, he’s looking at the two men leaning against each other in a loose embrace, their foreheads were touching. Satoru suspected that Tsukasa had pulled Hiroki into his mind by force. If it wasn’t for the serious situation they were in now, it would look like an intimate scene between two lovers.

Satoru felt the hair at the back of his neck stood up. This was the worst-case scenario ever. Tsukasa would manipulate Hiroki and they were going to crush him and would go back to the Company. Unless Hiroki was able to convince Tsukasa. He hesitated to leave Hiroki on his own. If Tsukasa got out of control, at least he's around to help. He's feeling restless after a moment, uncertain of his fate, of what these two men were discussing while sharing their minds. He decided he's going to step inside Tsukasa's Peak even though the other man had warned him not to do so. Maybe he could try to fight Tsukasa in there if needed. Before he could raise his hand, Hiroki immediately snapped out from the mind-meld with a painful gasp. Tsukasa fell to the floor, vomiting watery fluids and saliva all over the ground. Before he realised it, Hiroki had thrown himself to the kitchen counter and grabbed at the knife that they used to cut the fruits. 

"Hiroki!" Satoru shouted in aghast as he watched the brunet held the sharp tip of the knife right at his neck. Was Hiroki trying to kill himself?!

He heard Tsukasa gasped from the floor, “Hiroki, don’t do it!” Satoru could hear the desperation in Tsukasa’s voice.

“If you want to leave, then go ahead. I won’t go back to those awful people. I’ll kill myself right now and spare myself from the pain of watching you getting hurt. I won’t let them use you to hurt me and them using me to control you!”

“You promise.”

“Of course I do. I still want to be with you.” Hiroki’s eyes were glassy and a sad smile formed on his mouth. He pressed the knife and it pricked the skin there, a trail of blood started to flow. “But if we can’t be together-”

Satoru slapped the knife out of Hiroki's hand. It fell to the floor and he kicked it away from them. Hiroki blinked in surprised at the sudden loss of the knife. Satoru glared at the shorter boy. "What the fuck is wrong with you- Hey!" He was suddenly pushed away and thought Tsukasa was attacking him. Fisting his hand to knock the hell out of the other man, he suddenly froze when he discovered Tsukasa wasn't nearby him and was hugging Hiroki instead. The taller man had his face buried into Hiroki's neck, mouth suspiciously looks like he's pressing a kiss against the skin that has been punctured by the knife.

What the… actual fuck was happening. Satoru wondered how long he would be able to stay sane being on a run with these two crazy people.

-

Satoru and Tsukasa had a temporary truce. They both agreed it's for Hiroki's sake. Hiroki yelled at them that it's for Tsukasa's sake too. And Satoru added silently, for his own mental state as well.

-

They flew out of Japan. He managed to hypnotise the immigration officer using a stolen passport. They rented a four-wheel drive and since Tsukasa was the only person with an international driving license, he drove them to a place that had been specified by Hayashi in the letter. 

Being on the run wasn’t sunshine and rainbow at all. Satoru would be feeling hopeful, if he wasn’t exhausted and scared for his life, and trying not to fall apart. 

Tsukasa was already unhinged and Hiroki fussed a lot like a baby. Only Tsukasa able to make Hiroki listen to them when he’s being annoyingly stubborn. How Tsukasa could live with this big baby for twelve years was beyond his comprehension. The shorter man could be obstinate at times and blew up quickly when he's pissed off, but he would calm down easily and apologized to everyone because he's trying not to stress Tsukasa. Luckily, it was just that one time Hiroki was being suicidal. Satoru didn't need a repeat of that night. It was scary and confusing at the same time. 

It’s worse though when Tsukasa was having a bad day and his paranoid got the better of him. He would threaten to crush Satoru, and even accusing him trying to mess up with Tsukasa and Hiroki’s mind. Fortunately, before things gone out of control, Hiroki able to appease Tsukasa with soft words and gentle caress.

What’s even worse their emotions tend to affect each other. When Tsukasa wasn’t eating, Hiroki lost his appetite and didn’t want to take even a single bite too. When Hiroki had insomnia, Tsukasa would stay awake until dawn or until Hiroki fell asleep. When Tsukasa refused to talk to anyone, Hiroki would stay quiet for the rest of the day and won’t say anything even when Satoru talked to him. When Hiroki was being clingy, Tsukasa refused to leave Hiroki's side that Satoru had seen them entering the bathroom together to shower and even sharing the bed in the motel they're staying, and yet Satoru had clearly offered to sleep on the couch since there were only two beds. He wasn't complaining he got the other bed in the end, but it's puzzling to see Tsukasa and Hiroki being… entirely immersed with each other. If there's a way to surgically attached themselves, Satoru thought they would have done it anyway.

Their bond was so intense and potentially dangerous that it could be a recipe for disaster if something happened to one of them. Before, they were never like this. Between that time when Satoru saw the two men at the backroom to erase Tsukasa's memories of Hayashi and that night which ended up with Hiroki almost committing suicide, something had changed and the relationship between Tsukasa and Hiroki had gradually spiralled into something else. Strangely, Satoru also felt reassured that at least Tsukasa and Hiroki had each other despite everything that the Company screwed them with. 

-

Once they arrived at the harbour town, they bought some camping gears, light food and water. It took a few hours of driving and by the time they arrive at their destination, night has fallen. There wasn’t any moon and the dark sky was filled with puffy clouds that covered the thousands of stars. Satoru wondered if it would rain tonight. 

Hayashi stated in the letter that he would be waiting for them there. He’s pretty sure Hayashi himself won’t be there because he remembered the lifeless body on the chair. But he trusted the man. If he said he’ll be there, then he would be. They had time, for now. Nobody had been giving them problems. Nobody was chasing them. He guess either the Company didn’t care about them anymore or they’re planning something big.

Hiroki looked at the two bags curiously. “Eh, there’s an extra tent?”

"Like hell we share our tent with Satoru," grumbled Tsukasa as he scowled at Satoru. He sighed inwardly. The feeling was mutual. Satoru felt safer being in his own tent. No way he's sharing with that bastard. "I prefer just us in a tent," the taller man murmured into Hiroki's ear which caused the brunet to splutter in embarrassment.

Hiroki avoided looking at Tsukasa. “There’d better be three sleeping bags.” Tsukasa smirked. “Oh. I thought you prefer we share a sleeping bag.” 

The brunet’s cheeks heated into rosy hue as he finally turned to glare at the other man. “Hey! That was one time. Besides, it was Katsuragi’s fault that he forgot-” 

Hearing Katsuragi's name made his heart clenched painfully. He didn't hear the rest of the banter between Hiroki and Tsukasa as he recalled Katsuragi's body bleeding on the floor. If he was here right now with them, he would shout at the two men to stop flirting and would proceed to complain loudly to Satoru about Tsukasa and Hiroki being disgustingly gay. The old man had always been harsh on Satoru, but in some weird way, Katsuragi has been like a second father to him after Hayashi had left.

-

They boiled some water, and had cup noodles for dinner. Hiroki yawned loudly as he said goodnight to Satoru. He fidgeted uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure it’s a good idea Satoru and Tsukasa out here without the brunet as a buffer.

Sometimes he missed the old Tsukasa who was always polite and nice with a kind smile to everyone. He pondered, was it just an act in front of everyone and now he was looking at a broken man who had suffered so much and was barely hanging by a thread- that thread was Hiroki’s existent in this world. 

But once in a while, Satoru caught a glimpse of that old Tsukasa when Hiroki did or said something like now. "Don't stay up too late, Tsukasa." The raven-haired man had a tender smile, his blue eyes looking at the brunet with a fond exasperation. "Okay, okaa-san," he quipped jokingly. Hiroki stuck out his tongue like a child before crawling into the tent that he was sharing with Tsukasa. 

The silence between them was strained. It's probably the most awkward and tense moment Satoru had ever endured in his life. He didn't want to go inside his tent yet because even though he's tired, he still wanted to enjoy the fresh air. Spending years in the city and sleeping in the hotel room made this whole experience of sleeping outdoor seemed exciting.

“I’m sorry for what I did.”

It took him a second to realise Tsukasa was talking to him. “Crushing Hayashi. It’s unforgivable.”

Hayashi had taught him to be understanding. From Hayashi’s letter, Satoru knew Tsukasa had gone through mental abuse and torture under the Company ever since he was taken away from Hayashi. If the old man never found him in the hospital, maybe Tsukasa would never go through all that pain. But if Hayashi never found Satoru, then Tsukasa would never have found Hiroki. It’s so fucked up that their lives were intertwined. _You were a mistake_ , a voice sounded like Hayashi echoed in his head. Satoru quickly got rid of that thought before he went down that rabbit hole. There’s a time for that later.

Satoru didn't say he forgives Tsukasa because he couldn't. Not yet. Besides, he felt like the other wasn't looking for forgiveness from Satoru. 

He had his sins too. His demons that he's facing since that night. "I did something unforgivable too. I took a life. Two lives, I guess. I shot Long and Katsuragi had gotten shot from a bullet that was meant for me."

Tsukasa stared into the fire as Satoru tried to count the stars that weren’t covered by the clouds. “So, why are we waiting here?” he asked Satoru a moment later.

“I don’t know, honestly. But I’m sure Hayashi wanted us to find something in this place.” The letter had simply stated, _‘You will find me there waiting for you.'_ He didn’t tell Tsukasa of what exactly written by Hayashi. He didn’t even mention about it to Hiroki. Satoru was afraid to disappoint both Hiroki and Tsukasa.

They didn’t say anything after that but the atmosphere between them was less strained.

-

_“Running away is meaningless if it’s without Tsukasa. Change my memories, please.”_

Satoru woke up with a gasp. Hiroki's dead eyes in his dream were haunting him. He was drenched with sweat as he tried to calm down his heartbeat. He looked at his glow-in-the-dark watch and noticed it's too early to wake up. But he didn't feel like going back to sleep. He suddenly felt claustrophobic so he unzipped his sleeping bag and his tent with shaking hands, crawled out and inhaled the cold crisp air. The grass was damp from the spring rain that had fallen during the middle of the night. He sat in front of their campfire, the embers were still burning low and nudged the edges of the burnt woods with his foot. It made a soft crackling sound. He thought of lighting up the firestarter but the cold didn't bother him much.

There was a faint rustle behind him and he looked at Hiroki halfway through the mouth of the tent as he's rubbing the sleep of his eyes.

“Satoru?”

“Hey, Hiroki. Sorry I woke you up.”

“It’s alright.”

Hiroki stepped out from his tent and zipped the cover. Satoru caught a glimpse of a sleeping figure, very close to an empty sleeping bag that belonged to Hiroki. The younger man went to sit next to him. "You know, I never get to thank you for this. For bringing Tsukasa with us." 

Satoru smiled. “I’m just glad we’re far away from those bastards.”

“Tsukasa probably doesn’t deserve a second chance. But he’s very important to me,” whispered Hiroki, tugging nervously on the long sleeve of his white jumper. As usual, his cheeks were red whenever he talked about Tsukasa. Nothing had changed there but Satoru felt there’s something more going on between the two men. Tsukasa was the most dangerous man for Hiroki to be involved with for now. He wanted to ask about them but he’s embarrassed and Hiroki might say it wasn’t his business to know.

Hiroki hummed absentmindedly. They stay right where they were in a companionable silence. He could see the colours of the sky blended between night and dawn. It was nice and peaceful. Satoru had never felt this way before. Little by little, the rising sun behind them unveiled the landscape before them. Hiroki gasped next to him. It was the most beautiful sight he had loved since he was a kid. _Hayashi._ He drank in the mixed colour of purplish and bronze sky, the green grass, the blue river, the charcoal-hue valleys. A butterfly, similar to Meiling's, flew in front of them.

They stood frozen for another minute or two. Satoru wasn’t aware he’s saying something until he’s in the middle of it, “Hayashi said he’d made someone else’s Peak his own. He must have realised it was a landscape from somewhere and searched until he found it!” 

“Tsukasa needs to see this!” Hiroki disappeared back into the tent. 

Tears filled his eyes, blurring the sight and a burst of hope fluttered inside his chest. He felt the wind caressing his hair, touching his face, and holding his hands. _Hayashi’s wind_ , he thought, as something pleasant curled inside him. It felt like Hayashi was hugging him right now.

“Look!” Hiroki shouted cheerily.

The two figures standing a little further from Satoru. He glimpsed at Tsukasa's wide blue eyes who were taking in at the familiar sight before him. He must have felt the same overwhelming feeling Satoru did. Then Tsukasa closed his eyes as he felt the wind. Satoru smiled at this. 

“Hayashi said we have the ability to shape our own future,” he told them.

Satoru swore he would bring Meiling and Hayashi here. He would take care of both of them for the rest of his life. Hiroki and Tsukasa could help if they want.

“Tsukasa-” Hiroki’s word was cut off. Ignoring the other two people, Satoru allowed himself to be distracted with the landscape in front of him for a few long moments. This had been Hayashi’s reality. Now it became their reality.

It took him a while that he realised the lack of sound from his two companions. Satoru turned his head, wondering why they’re both being quiet, and oh. _Oh._

Tsukasa and Hiroki were kissing. Their eyes were closed as they seemed pretty lost in each other’s tight embrace. The space no longer existed between them especially with the way they held each other. Tsukasa had one hand cupped Hiroki's cheek, his thumb caressing the skin there tenderly, and his other hand laid possessively on the brunet's back. Hiroki had both arms twining behind Tsukasa's neck like he never wanted to let go, pulling himself closer to the kiss that he stood on his tiptoes. 

Satoru felt his jaw dropped. It was so strange yet he couldn't help it but felt natural to see them like that, as if they were meant to be. Two halves of one whole. Soulmates. 

On the other hand, Satoru was relieved to find that the bond these two men shared wasn’t merely an act on Tsukasa’s part. Hiroki needed Tsukasa just as much as Tsukasa also needed Hiroki, probably even more. Maybe it was unhealthy the way they both needed each other, but who was he to judge them when Satoru didn’t have any normal relationship with anyone to use as a comparison. 

Realising that he's still watching them like a weirdo, he turned away abruptly in embarrassment. Satoru sighed as he mentally prepared himself stuck as a third wheel friend. But his mouth quirked a tiny bit. Today was the beginning towards a better future. 

**end**

**Author's Note:**

> I do apologize for the grammatical errors and weird sentence structure because English isn't my first language. If anyone wants to help beta this, just leave your email in the comment. Since the anime did not specify which country they escaped to, I made it vague here in my fic too. This was supposed to be a 3k words oneshot but I can't stop writing and now it ended up longer than that. I extended more after the ending of this fic. I wrote like another 2k words aftermath of just Satoru trying not to notice loving domestic shit between Tsukasa and Hiroki then I told myself I HAVE TO STOP OR I WILL NEVER FINISH THIS FIC. So I think it's alright to end here. That's how passionate I was to fix episode 13! I just want Tsukasa and Hiroki to be together and happy. And Tsukasa definitely took the gold medal for being the most mentally abused baby. Remember that scene when the CEO forced him to crush those people again and again, and telling him to crush them faster. JFC he's just a kid! I just want to strangle all those bastards in the Company! He ended up being so fucked-up in the head he shouldn't suffer so much. But Tsukasa did get his own twisted happy ending, by getting his own memories erased and the genuine happy smile he had while playing with the puppy at the end of the episode made me cry so hard. I hope to see BAMF!Hiroki saving Tsukasa from those assholes in the new sequel. Don't mind if Tsukasa never get back his old memories. He can create new ones with Hiroki.
> 
> Anyway, I really hope you guys had enjoyed reading this as much as I had fun writing it. Don't forget to click the cute kudos button and I would appreciate some feedback. Thank you so much, my beautiful readers! Stay safe!


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